Doggie delights: Beloved Watson Park spot reopens

Share this:

Mike Dykes brings his dogs through the gate at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

Mike Dykes kisses his friend's dog, "Maya" during a visit at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

"Gracey" fetches a stick for owner Danny Rubin at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

"Lucy" fetches a stick with the rest of the gang at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. "Lucy" is owned by Ricky Utley. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

A Chow Chow named "Daisy" takes a drink from the water fountain at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. " Daisy" is owned by Rebecca Gleason. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

Paxton Schiltz, 13, plays tug-of-war with his dog "Sunny" at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

Jody Wilkinson and Rebecca Gleason relax with their dogs at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

Aralyn Tucker, 14, plays tug-of-war with "Sunny" at Watson Dog Park in San Jose on July 1, 2007. The park re-opened yesterday after having been shut down since 2004. The park was closed after contaminated soil was discovered during excavation work for a new skate park. (Mercury News/ Gary Reyes)

If there were a doggie heaven, Maya the English bulldog was romping – well, lolling about – in it Sunday morning.

She sprawled atop a picnic table at San Jose’s newly reopened Watson Dog Park, after trotting around with some of her best friends – chocolate lab Baker, Newfoundland Bree and Shih Tzu Duncan.

If Maya could speak, her only complaint might be that there weren’t enough dogs at the park, owner Eileen Murphy said.

But surely Maya will find more friends during her daily visits as word spreads that – although most of Watson Park remains closed because of toxins – the dog park has reopened.

The city shut the park in August 2005, after lead and other carcinogens were discovered during excavation for a skate park. Watson Park had been the site of a city dump and trash incinerator in the early 1900s.

While the city has excavated three feet of dirt from the back yards of seven Terrace Drive homes nearby, cleaning up the soil at the park has been delayed by the need to secure higher environmental clearance.

But tests have indicated that the dog run, the nearby soccer field (which has been open), Coyote Creek and the groundwater are free of contamination, according to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control.

So the city agreed to reopen the dog park Saturday.

Doggie-wise, the reception was mixed. Most reacted like Gambit the Boston terrier, who was playing tug of war and daring larger dogs to chase him.

Then there was Genevieve, the long-haired dachshund-chihuahua mix who snuggled against the leg of her mistress, Aralyn Tucker, 14. At home, “Princess Genevieve,” as she’s called, dines on chicken, beef and organic dog food. At the park, she preferred being petted to playing, ignoring the loping and panting around her with a look that said, “Only dogs would behave that way.”

Nevertheless, Princess Genevieve and golden retriever Sunny had been the first dogs to rechristen Watson Park on Saturday, said Aralyn’s mother, Carrie Doolittle. They were the only dogs there at 7 a.m. when the gates opened.

“I am thrilled,” said Doolittle, who, like other Northside neighborhood dog owners, said she had missed the park.

On Sunday morning, the humans relaxing at a picnic table in the shade praised the park – the doggie drinking fountain, the bags to help owners place doggie leftovers in the trash and the camaraderie of the dogs’ best friends.

The park helps dogs learn to socialize – how not to bark at other dogs, for instance – said Muriel Carpentier, a Terrace Drive neighbor who had brought Hiccup, a wolf-husky mix, to play.

Murphy, who works in the software industry, said she looks forward to coming every day after work. “It’s a really great way to unwind at the end of the day.”

Sharon Noguchi covers preschool through high school for the Bay Area News Group. She's written about teen stress, high-school cheating, Common Core and teacher tenure. She also runs workshops aimed at developing high school journalists.

More in News

"The easy part is buying the body cameras and issuing them to the officers. They are not that expensive," said Jim Pasco, executive director at the National Fraternal Order of Police. "But storing all the data that they collect - that cost is extraordinary. The smaller the department, the tougher it tends to be for them."

CityView Plaza, a huge office, restaurant and retail complex in downtown San Jose, was bought in July for nearly $284 million -- in cash -- by an affiliate of developer Jay Paul, which in December landed $157 million in financing for the site.